WASHINGTON DC citylab

Few US cities have transformed as quickly as Washington DC. After decades of decline, rapid gentrification and dense development have repositioned DC from a depressed urban wasteland to one of the most dynamic, livable cities in the nation. Strategic public investments in education, transit, and infrastructure attract diverse demographics and strong real estate growth in both commercial and residential properties. Very little remains of the crumbling, crime-ridden neighborhoods abandoned in the wake of white flight that followed school desegregation and riots that broke out after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr in 1968.

Transformation of the District has brought new challenges of struggle and displacement for those priced out of their own communities. Behind the gleaming new condos and highrises, pockets of poverty and blight are scattered across the city, particularly in the southeastern fringes of Ward 5 and Ward 7 where there are still opportunities to revitalize neighborhoods without displacing people and businesses. This is where CityLab works with communities to rebuild more livable neighborhoods from the ground up.

REIMAGINING THE NEW YORK AVENUE GATEWAY

While most of DC enjoys high quality of life, the drab, long-neglected "drive-through" Ward 5 industrial corridor is poised to anchor the next wave of DC economic growth and industrial diversification. As the largest ward in DC, Ward 5 includes half of the District's industrial land, large properties ripe for development, an engaged business and civic community, stable residential neighborhoods and industrial core, and strong anchor institutions. Ward 5 political and policy leaders are reimagining Ward 5 as an emerging "clean and green" business sector with New York Avenue as an attractive, welcoming commercial and retail gateway to the nation's capital.

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REIMAGINIng the pennsylvania avenue gateway

Pennsylvania Avenue “east of the river” or Penn Ave East provides residents and visitors alike the opportunity to live, work and play in a location steeped in a rich heritage. Rising “east of the river” with commanding views of U.S. Capitol and downtown DC, the neighborhoods running along Penn Ave East—from L’Enfant to Fort Davis —provide walkable, cozy, tree-lined streets in close proximity to National Parks. This is an emerging commercial corridor with numerous outdoor resources and historical sites. Penn Ave East, a community on the move, is an opportune region and where you want to be!